


Escaping Samsara

by Jackkel Dragon (jackkel_dragon)



Series: Jackkel's Corpse Party Fanfic [10]
Category: Corpse Party (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 19:22:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18414278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackkel_dragon/pseuds/Jackkel%20Dragon
Summary: This story is the prequel to "Lingering Fear".





	Escaping Samsara

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the prequel to "Lingering Fear".

“ _Remember, say the words ‘Sachiko, we beg of you’ eight–oh, looks like nine!–times. Then dig your nails in and pull until the doll rips apart.”_

_I obediently dug my nails into the paper doll, the face looking more and more like Sachiko with each moment. Was only I seeing this? Was I the only one to remember what we were about to face?_

“ _Now!”_

I woke up face-first on the cold wooden floorboards of the school. I was back in the main building. Saenoki’s words, “You probably won’t make it in time,” still echoed in my head.

No, I didn’t make it in time. It was already happening again. It was already worse than last time.

I ran toward the stairwell to the third floor, hoping to make it there before Naomi tried to hang herself this time. I noticed that Suzumoto wasn’t splattered over the wall outside of the infirmary, but somehow that didn’t inspire any hope in me.

I skidded to a stop when I saw strange reflections along the hallway to the stairwell. Looking more closely, I saw a web of tiny wires blocking my path. I’d seen enough of this school to know they must be dangerous in some way.

“Damn it!” I picked up a piece of a broken floorboard and flung it at the wires. The rotted wood sliced neatly in two as it passed one of the wires.

I wracked my brain for an alternate route to Naomi. There was the hidden passage behind the custodian’s closet, but I’d need someone else to help me get the key.

Kicking another piece of rubble at the wires in anger, I turned around and started trying to bash in doors, hoping to find anything useful. The science lab’s door was attached to the wall, so all I did was hurt my shoulder there. Running down the hallway, I blindly used my running start to slam into the infirmary.

The door flung open and a girl in an unfamiliar uniform jumped away from a cell phone on the floor. She let out a squeal and scrambled to hide behind the space heater.

“No! Stay away! Stay away from me!”

Too angry at Sachiko’s mind games to bother reasoning with the girl, I picked up the phone on the floor. It was Morishige’s… and there was a familiar blood spatter on the inside. Looking at the windows, I noticed one was missing its glass, a few stray shards coated with blood the only indication there was ever a windowpane.

“Goddamnit!” I raised the phone to toss it out the window, then immediately thought better of it. I opened the phone to movie viewer to find two saved movies from today. The first one only required a few seconds to confirm that Suzumoto and Morishige had died. The second one looked unfamiliar.

The girl that I had startled when I barged into the room peeked her head out from behind the space heater. “W-who are you?”

I selected the second movie on the phone and opened the command menu. “Satoshi Mochida, Kisaragi Academy.”

Having answered her question, I went back to examining the phone. I hit the play button for the second movie and sat down on one of the beds to rest my legs.

“I… I’m Tohko Kirisaki, Byakudan Senior High.” The girl inched closed to me, bloody scissors in her hands. I shot her a glare.

“Don’t come near me with those things.”

I mentally slapped myself. This school was really getting to me if I was going to be a jerk to everyone I met now.

Kirisaki shivered a bit and put the scissors on a desk before inching closer and sitting next to me on the bed, looking at the phone. She must have been trying to figure out what had been saved on it too.

The video started off showing an empty infirmary, but after a minute or so voices could be heard outside. The door made an unlocking sound and two people walked in. Once they were far enough in I recognized the faces of Yoshiki and Shinozaki.

“Are you sure this is the way Suzumoto went, Shinozaki?”

Shinozaki looked dazed. She was walking slowly, lurching with each step. Yoshiki noticed this and tried to steady her.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Shinozaki shrugged him off. “Do I looked alright to you?!” she snapped back. She took a few steps before falling to her knees in front of the phone’s camera. She noticed the phone in front of her and picked it up.

“This is… Morishige’s phone.”

Yoshiki moved out of the camera’s sight, trying to examine something on the wall. “Hey, I gave this to Suzumoto… and this looks like that compact she was using earlier.”

Shinozaki pressed a few buttons on the phone and I could hear the sound from the other movie playing. How did the phone record a video while it was playing one already?…

Kirisaki adjusted herself on the bed next to me. She seemed to be getting uncomfortable. Not that such a reaction would be unexpected here.

Once Shinozaki had finished watching the video of Morishige dying, she ran with the phone somewhere, to the window I assume, and made a panicked gasp. Yoshiki moved closer and looked out the window as well.

“Damn it!” Yoshiki tossed something at the wall. “What the hell is up with this place?”

The phone’s camera dropped to show the edge of Shinozaki’s skirt. She must have lowered her hands. I felt Kirisaki staring at me, but I kept my face close to the phone to listen for anything happening in the video.

I noticed that Shinozaki’s breathing had become irregular, and she began muttering something. There was some movement, though I couldn’t tell what Shinozaki was facing because her hands were still at her sides.

“A trade?…”

Shinozaki mumbled the words like she was repeating what someone else was saying to her. The phone tumbled out of her hands and the camera angle went right up her skirt. Kirisaki adjusted herself next to me again. At the edge of the camera’s view I could see Yoshiki turning from the infirmary desk.

“Damn. I found Suzumoto’s ID here, along with what’s left of her uniform. I guess that really is her on the wall.”

Shinozaki stepped forward, slowly and deliberately. It became easier to see Yoshiki in the frame as she approached him.

“I never liked him anyway…”

Shinozaki calmly picked up a pair of bloody scissors from the desk and looked them over. Yoshiki moved close to her and reached for the scissors.

“Shinozaki, we shouldn’t–”

Suddenly, Shinozaki spun around and buried the scissors in Yoshiki’s throat. “Don’t touch me!” She pulled out the scissors and stabbed Yoshiki in the other side of the neck before he could react. “Can’t you see I don’t like you?”

Yoshiki had the look of a man who was looking upon the ruins of his greatest dream. I felt my hands start to shake as I watched. Shinozaki didn’t seem to care about Yoshiki’s attempts to speak, pulling out the scissors only to kick Yoshiki to the floor and stab him in the stomach.

I laid the phone on the bed between me and Kirisaki, holding my head in my hands as I listened to Yoshiki’s gasps of pain as Sinozaki killed him. Eventually, I heard the sound of Shinozaki’s heavy breathing.

“I killed him… I killed him! Ahahaha! Yes! Kill kill kill!”

The sound of large footsteps near the phone ended Shinozaki’s rant. I still couldn’t bring myself to watch, but I suspected that Shinozaki turned her head to look.

“Mochidaaaaaa… is that youuuu? I got rid of Kishinuma… Now we can finally be together…”

I heard the sound of a hammer crushing bone and a sharp intake of breath from Kirisaki. I knew what happened.

There was a long silence. Eventually, Kirisaki took a deep breath and tried to speak. “T-those… were your classmates?…”

“Yeah.” I couldn’t muster anything else for my reply.

Only Yuka, Naomi, and Ms. Yui were still alive now. I wish I could hope for Shinohara to be alive, but I doubted that Naomi was able to save her without any knowledge of what was going to happen here.

I was about to curl up into a ball and cry, but when I remembered that Yuka and Naomi were counting on me I stood up. I needed to find a way to get to Naomi and save Yuka.

“W-where are you going?” Kirisaki asked.

I sighed. “My sister, my teacher, and one of my friends are still out there. I need to find them before it’s too late.”

Kirisaki wrapped her arms around herself and shivered a bit. I moved to leave, but she jumped to her feet and clung to my arm.

“D-don’t leave me here alone… they’ll find me…”

Kirisaki seemed like she might be too far gone to be of much help, but I couldn’t just leave her if she needed help. “Stay close. I can’t help you if you wander off.”

Kirisaki just nodded, linking her arm with mine. It felt a little awkward to have her so close, but if that’s what it took to get her out safely…

We walked out of the infirmary together to find someone limping past us. For a second I didn’t recognize them, but then I realized it was Ms. Yui.

“Ms. Yui!” I shouted, taking a step forward to run to her before I remembered that Kirisaki was using me as support.

Ms. Yui turned around slowly, gripping her right arm as if it would fall off otherwise. After seeing the blood streaming down her arm, that might not have been far off.

“Mochida!” She limped toward us. “Have you found any of the others? I heard Nakashima’s voice, but a spirit trapped me in a classroom until a short time ago.”

I lowered my head. “Morishige, Suzumoto, Shinozaki, and Yoshiki are dead.”

Ms. Yui grimaced. She was already in so much pain of her own… I wondered if I should have tried to soften the blow.

I realized Kirisaki was holding me between her and Ms. Yui, so I nudged her forward a bit. “This is my teacher. You don’t need to worry, Kirisaki.”

Kirisaki forced a smile at Ms. Yui. “Hello.”

Ms. Yui tried to smile back, but it came out distorted when a wave of pain hit her. “It’s good to find people still alive here.”

I knew that this delay was only hurting our chances of finding Yuka and Naomi, so I tried to break up the introductions gently. “I found a way out, but we should try to find Yuka and Naomi before we use it.”

Kirisaki stiffened. “You knew a way out? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I frowned, lowering my head. “I’m not leaving without Yuka and Naomi.”

Ms. Yui examined us, brow furrowed. “Where is this way out, Mochida? We should all know, just in case–”

Even Ms. Yui couldn’t finish that thought. I suppose they deserved to know.

“It’s not a place. It’s a ritual.” I pulled out my student ID and opened it up to show my scrap from the paper doll. “You need at least two people with their paper doll scraps. You do the Sachiko charm in reverse… but instead of once for each person trying to leave, you add one more chant. Then you join the scraps together.”

Kirisaki let go of my arm to dig through her skirt pocket until she pulled out a paper doll scrap. “I have mine!”

Ms. Yui pulled out her own doll scrap. “I have mine as well, but we should find the others before we leave.”

Kirisaki seemed to be uneasy about this. I didn’t blame her… these weren’t her friends she was saving.

“Maybe…” I knew I’d probably regret it, but I didn’t want to drag them into my own problems. “Maybe you two can do the reverse charm, while I look for Naomi and Yuka.”

Ms. Yui opened her mouth to refuse, then noticed that Kirisaki was shaking and closed it again. She seemed to be waiting for Kirisaki to weigh in before she committed to a response..

Eventually, Kirisaki latched onto my arm again. “I’ll help you. If I leave now, I’ll just be alone…”

Kirisaki… I almost wanted to tell her that wasn’t the case. She wouldn’t be alone. There was something far worse waiting for those of us who escaped alive…

Ms. Yui nodded. “Let’s go then.”

I gestured for Ms. Yui to follow me. “I know a way to get to where Naomi should be, but I need someone to help me get the key.”

Kirisaki and Ms. Yui seemed confused by that, but followed me to the first floor and to the classroom with the custodian’s closet key. After a quick explanation, Ms. Yui moved to the other side of the room and we spent the next few minutes cornering the key until Kirisaki caught it.

Key in hand, we went to the custodian’s closet and I unlocked the door. I wasn’t ready for what happened when I pushed the door open.

Without warning, something jumped out at me and shoved me to the ground, clawing at me and ripping my uniform shirt apart. I pushed the thing back only to realize it was Naomi, her eyes bloodshot and unfocused and black drool seeping from her mouth.

“Saaaaatooooshiiiii…”

She bit into my shoulder and I cried out in pain. I heard Kirisaki screaming and Ms. Yui shouting for Naomi to let go of me.

“Youuuuu abaaaandoned meeeee…”

I gasped as Naomi released her bite only to get me closer to the neck.

“Naomi! Stop this!”

“Youuuuu killllled heeeeer…”

This time I was ready when she released me to speak. I shoved her back by the shoulders, using my momentum to get up. A jolt of pain caused me to lose control, and I landed on top of Naomi.

“Naomi! Snap out of it! I know you can fight this!”

Out of sheer luck, I had pinned her arms when I fell on her. She tried to lash at me a few times, but when she realized she couldn’t reach me she started making a pitiful wailing noise.

I heard footsteps behind me, but I trusted that it was Ms. Yui or Kirisaki and not some new threat and held Naomi down. Eventually, she started sobbing and her face started to lose its feral edge.

Exhausted and in pain, I collapsed onto Naomi. Please get better…

A long moment passed. I realized I could feel Naomi’s heartbeat against my face. Did I… damn it.

I pushed myself up just as Naomi started stirring again. “Sorry, Naomi, I–”

“Satoshi? Is that you?”

I exhaled in relief. “Thank god you’re back.”

I backed off from Naomi and used the wall as support to get into a sitting position. Ms. Yui and Kirisaki were looking on, not sure what to do to help us.

Naomi sat up too, her expression suggesting she was on the verge of tears. “Seiko… she…”

I patted Naomi on the shoulder, hoping to comfort her in some way. She broke down into sobbing.

“I tried to save her, but she ran away… and then she ran past that sharpened piano wire… and now she’s–”

Naomi didn’t have to finish. We all knew what she meant.

I stood up, trying to ignore the pain in my neck. “Let’s find Yuka and get out of here.”

Naomi looked up at me. “There’s a way out?”

I nodded, recapping the reverse Sachiko charm to Naomi.

I led the way into the custodian’s closet. As I expected considering Naomi’s presence here, the secret passage was open. But fate had another cruel trick in store for me. Stepping over the bodies of Saenoki and Kibiki, I found an old photograph that wasn’t there before.

“Yuka…”

Everyone else looked over my shoulder at the photo of my sister’s caved-in skull. Naomi gagged a bit, clutching her stomach. Kirisaki just shivered.

I tore the photograph in two and tossed the scraps aside. “Let’s just do the reverse charm before anything else happens to us.”

Kirisaki and Ms. Yui took out their paper doll scraps, but Naomi couldn’t find hers. Damn it. I forgot that she lost her ID holder. Shinozaki was the one who gave it back.

Naomi started sobbing when she realized she might not be able to go back. I grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Naomi, we’re not leaving you behind. Do you know if Seiko had her scrap with her?”

Naomi shook her head. “She lost hers before we split up. Before she tried to…”

I sighed. We had to do something–

Heavy footsteps.

Just outside the door…

“Everybody, into the secret passage!” I shoved Naomi forward and ran to close the red door to buy us some time.

We all ran into the secret passage and climbed the ladder into the girl’s bathroom. As we climbed, we heard the giggling of children and the voice of a young girl taunting us.

“Where do you think you’re running to? You were mine ever since you entered these halls… Two of you already have my seal.”

We kept climbing, Naomi and Kirisaki taking the lead with Ms. Yui and I staying in the back, closing the stall door and bathroom door behind us to buy ourselves time.

The little girl giggled. I recognized the voice now. Sachiko.

“You’re all so silly! Hasn’t this been fun? We can do it again, if you like. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the ways you can die…”

I ran up to Kirisaki. I had to tell her this now or never.

“Kirisaki, after the reverse charm, everything will seem to have reset to before you did the Sachiko Ever After Charm. If you remember this, make sure that none of your friends perform the charm again. You understand me?”

Kirisaki looked at me like I was crazy. “What are you talking about?”

I shook my head. “No time to explain. You have to trust me. I’m sorry.”

I heard something tumbling down the stairs and remembered Naomi’s comment about the piano wire. She didn’t forget, did she?!…

Kirisaki and I ran down to find Naomi sprawled on the floor, having tripped on a decapitated head on the landing. I realized it was Seiko’s head.

“Kirisaki, watch out for the piano wire.” I turned back to call for Ms. Yui.

Ms. Yui was standing at the entrance to the stairwell with a strange look on her face. I shouted at her, telling her to come over. She looked at me and frowned.

“I found a map of this school, Mochida. The pit and that sharpened wire are in the corridor this stairwell leads us down to.” She produced her paper doll scrap and tossed it to me, and I scrambled to pick it up.

“Ms. Yui, what are you?–”

“Go, Mochida!” She pushed the stairwell doors closed with her good arm. I heard the footsteps getting closer. Sachiko’s accomplice was gaining on us.

Part of me wanted to help Ms. Yui, but then I realized what she had done. She gave me her scrap so Naomi could escape. I hurried down the stairwell and ducked under the piano wire, making sure not to trip on Seiko’s remains.

Catching up with the girls at the edge of the pit, they turned to me with fear in their eyes. I handed Naomi the paper doll scrap that Ms. Yui gave me and pulled out my own.

“Chant it four times, alright?”

They just nodded, realizing this wasn’t time to explain what had happened to Ms. Yui. We chanted “Sachiko, we beg of you” four times and joined our paper doll scraps together.

A bright light enveloped us. Then, everything went dark.

I woke up in my bed. I felt really tired, but looking out my window I could see it was cloudy. I decided to close my eyes for a little longer.

“Big broooother!”

Suddenly my comforter was pulled from me and someone was bouncing on the bed next to me. I rolled away to avoid getting squished.

“It’s time to wake up, big brother!”

I looked up to see Yuka, still alive, smiling at me. I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Thanks, Yuka.” I thought of something, looking out the window again. “Hey, do you know where my umbrella is?…”

Yuka jumped off my bed and ran into her room. A moment later, she ran back with my umbrella. “I borrowed it when I couldn’t find mine last week. It’s a good thing you remembered to ask for it, big brother! Mom says it’s going to rain this afternoon.”

I forced a chuckle. “Yeah, good thing I remembered.” I got out of bed and took the umbrella. “Go ahead and get ready for school. I need to pack my things.”

Yuka smiled and went back to the door to her room. She turned just before walking through. “Remember it’s Kisaragi Fest today! Don’t forget anything, big brother!”

I nodded. “I won’t, Yuka.”

I packed my things and got dressed for school, all the while thinking of how I’d stop my classmates from performing the Sachiko Ever After charm. It wasn’t until I was walking out with Yuka that I came up with something. It was a cruel thing to do, but…

“Yuka, hold up a minute.” I left Yuka just outside the house and ran back in. I dug out a matchbox and stuffed it in my pocket before heading back out. Yuka just giggled at me.

“Almost forget something, big brother?”

“Almost.” I patted the matchbox in my pocket. “But I remembered.”

I imagined the look that would be on Suzumoto’s and Shinozaki’s faces if I had to burn the paper doll to get them to listen to me. I felt sick just thinking about how upset they’d be. No one in that room would want to associate with me after an outburst like that.

But given the choice of watching them die again or being hated by them for the rest of my life…

I’d rather be hated.


End file.
